Favorite Schools

Favorite Teams

Bill French, right, dressed as Santa Claus, talks with Reagan Bohac, 8, right, son of state Rep. Dwayne Bohac, R-Houston, second from left, on the Texas House floor following a news conference Monday to raise awareness for the Texas' new Merry Christmas law.
(The Associated Press)

It's now explicitly legal to wish someone a Merry Christmas in Texas schools, although at least one school hadn't gotten the memo before controversy flared.

The so-called "Merry Christmas Law" passed nearly unanimously this year by the Texas Legislature allows the exchange of Christmas, Hanukkah and other religious greetings in the state's classrooms. The statute also allows Christmas trees, menorahs and nativity scenes, as long as more than one faith is represented and a secular symbol, such as a snowman, also is shown, the Associated Press reported. Christmas songs and festive garb also are OK.

State officials sent memos to schools Monday telling them about the change in the law, Reuters said.

State Rep. Dwayne Bohac, the Houston Republican who sponsored the law, told a news conference that the measure was intended to codify the First Amendment's religious protections and keep Christmas from being censored in public schools, AP said.

"I urge other states to stop a needless, stilted overreaction to Christmas and Hanukkah," Bohac said. He said similar laws are under consideration in Alabama, Mississippi, Indiana and New Jersey and that a bill is expected to be filed in Oklahoma.

While other major religions such as Islam and Buddhism aren't specifically covered by the law, students who think their faiths are being censored in school can seek support under it, Jonathan Saenz, a conservative activist and president of Texas Values, told Reuters. Saenz's group touts the law on its website and ran radio ads last week reminding listeners about the change.

The message apparently didn't reach as far as Frisco, Texas. The PTA at Nichols Elementary there sent a memo to parents that the "winter party" planned for students could include no reference to Christmas or any other religious holiday, no red, green or Christmas trees, and nothing that would stain the carpet, MyFoxDFW reported.

That came as news to district officials, who told the station:

"The school was unaware of this and it was not an official PTA correspondence either. There have never been any limitations on what students wear, what they bring to share with their classmates on party days... what greetings people exchange with each other."

Do you think New York should enact its own "Merry Christmas Law?" Please leave a comment below.